Eat, Chill, Party
Alexia H.
Have you heard of a quinceanera? If u haven't then here's what it is. A quinceanera is a celebration of a young lady while she's on her journey from being a child to growing up to be an adult.
What is a Quinceanera? A quinceanera is a celebration of a young girl and her journey from growing up and it's resembling your childhood to your adulthood. It also resembles her giving thanks to God and to thank Him for His blessings. A quinceanera is a Latin celebration that is very important in Mexican culture because that is the only day that the girl or woman gets treated like a major person. The quince is the center of attention for that night, a quinceanera is relative to a wedding but instead of the bride and the groom it's only the quince. It's also very big like a wedding, it has around 100-500 people, but some people make theirs smaller than others, so there might be 100 people. The quince also has 14 dramas because each one symbolizes each year and she's the 15th year. The damas are like the bridesmaids ,but for a quinceanera. There can also be a court with 7 girls and 7 boys instead of them all being girls, but you can choose between .
aWhat do you do at a Quinceanera? At the beginning of a quinceanera there is a church ceremony. It's where the gifts are presented. There are 6 gifts that are granted to her during the church ceremony. The quince says a speech thanking the guests for coming to her church service and party. The preacher or the priest also says something about the quince and tells her how God appreciates her. Only 5% of the people who celebrate a quinceanera don't have the church ceremony, so it's very common for them to have the church ceremony. Then after the ceremony you would go to a dance hall or something relative to a dance hall. When you're there, you will first eat. The quince and the damas will all be sitting together. While you are eating, most people, have mariachis go around from table to table playing songs. Right after you are finished eating, they have the quince dance with all the males in her family – like the dad, uncles, grandfathers, brothers and the male cousins. The dances are usually about 1
minute long, but some people have someone read a note or letter that the person who is dancing with the quince wrote and while they are dancing someone reads it. After all the males in her family dance with her, the DJ will play music and everyone who wants to will dance. For most quinceanera, the rest of the time everyone will dance. The changing of the shoe is when the quince already has a flat shoe on so the dad of the quince takes of her flat shoe and puts a high heel on her foot. This represents her being able to wear heels and it also shows that she is a woman now. If they do the changing of the shoe, the quince already has a flat shoe on so the dad of the quince takes of her flat shoe and puts a high heel on her foot. This represents her being able to wear heels and it also shows that she is a woman now. If they do the changing of the shoe, some people do it at the church during the ceremony and some people do it at the dance hall ceremony.
What do the gifts symbolize? At a quinceanera the young woman is presented with many gifts. One of the gifts that is presented is a scepter. Either the parents or the godparents of the quince present this gift to her. The scepter represents authority, it is almost like a regalia. This gift also resembles the transition from childhood to adulthood and it represents the young lady’s responsibility to her locality. Another gift that is represented to her at the mass is a tiara. Sometimes the tiara is given to her by one of her aunts and uncles. The tiara meaning is that she is a princess in God’s and her family's perspective and their eyes. The quince also gets a set of jewelry that contains earrings, a ring, a necklace, and a matching bracelet. The earrings are saying that she never needs to forget to listen to the words of God and the bracelet and the ring represent the circle of life and the journeys she will experience. She also is presented with a last doll symbolizing that she isn't a child anymore and that she doesn't need to play with dolls anymore. And last but not least a bible is given to her to keep the word of God and for very special resources in her life.
What is the history behind it? The history of quinceaneras is very different back then than it is nowadays. Back then the woman weren't aloud to date, they weren't aloud to dance with any boys other than their family, they weren't aloud to wear makeup, and they couldn't get married until their quinceanera. For most people right after their quinceanera they would get married so they got married really young. During the years they changed the tradition over the years so now you can wear makeup, you can date, you can wear high heels, and you can’t really get married that early in life though because its not usual. This tradition goes all the way back to the Aztecs , the Toltec, the Inca, and the Maya. In the olden days the wealthy used to make a very expensive trip to mainly Paris or somewhere in Europe but you wouldn't go there if you weren't wealthy enough to pay for it. This religion is combined with Spanish and Aztecs Catholic traditions. The tradition has spread all throughout Mexico and in south Texas. This tradition also has some other traditions from countries other than Mexico.
Bibliography
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